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Black Plague Miasma – A Review of GORT’s ‘A Morte Ad Mortem’

You know when you just need a hit of Black Metal? When every fibre of your being just craves that raw, anti-life darkness and indescribable feeling that only emanates from the malignant spirit of our favourite genre? Well, Gort are exactly what you need. The Italians’ sound is the pure feeling of black metal distilled to its rotten core; raw and ugly yet powerful, dragging the deepest depths of humanity’s torment.

All of which is the perfect sound for the theme behind their latest EP. Their tenth release overall since their impious inception in 2002, ‘A Morte Ad Mortem’ (“From Death to Death”) is based on The Black Plague of the 1300s but with a twist: the tale is told from the point of view of the plague itself, as a metaphysical entity. I’ve seen many artists cover the topic but none insofar as I can remember have attacked it from this unique point of view, which makes me wish I had received a lyric sheet with the sound files as the concept is quite intriguing and the lyrics could be fascinating. Guess I’ll have to purchase the album to find out.

The music itself has the black blood of 1993 coursing through its veins and effortlessly encapsulates all the best parts of the ’90s; opening salvo ‘Black Glorification’ alone has everything you want from good black metal in each of its varied sections. Pressing play, either the sounds of hell or agonised screams of burning plague victims assail your ears before the cursed and somber melodies emanating from Wolf’s guitar begin to paint a wretched picture that perfectly represents the misery and destruction of the topic at hand. Fresh cult initiate Illness more than proves himself as his throat-rending vocals vomit bile and filth, doing an admirable job of giving voice to death and decay throughout the entirety of each of the EP’s four tracks.

Preview track ‘Nigra Imperatrix’ is a solid example of what is on offer within; one of the more straightforward tracks of the lot with a driving, frenetic pulse courtesy of longtime sticksman Einherjar Ingvar, providing backbone as he grabs you by the throat with a refreshingly raw drum sound. I’m a particular fan of how this sound comes into play in one of the final sections of album closer ‘The Last Flight of the Crow’, where amidst a swaying rhythm the snare takes on the properties of a tolling death bell, sonorously calling out the corpses of the dead.

Released on axe wielder Wolf’s own label Lupus Niger Prod and Distroand adorned with killer, highly detailed artwork courtesy of the excellent Roberto Toderico Art, this is black metal with integrity. No standout singles, no album of the year, this release isn’t about that shit. Just true, uncompromising black metal from its cold, dark, hidden heart. Incredibly satisfying. Hails.